Protection apparatus

ABSTRACT

Protection apparatus is disclosed for use with a hair curling iron having a curling clamp and a heating element. In the preferred embodiment, the protection apparatus includes a guard and a comb retainer. The guard includes a trough member for receiving the heating element and curling clamp of the curling iron to aid in preventing the heating element of the curling iron from accidentally contacting the head of the person desiring their hair curled and a U-shaped slot for removably receiving the back member of the comb allowing a portion of the comb to extend beyond an end of the guard by a sufficient amount to allow the comb to be grasped by the hand of the operator. Therefore the portion of the comb extending beyond the ends can be used as a handle. Further, the comb can be placed either in a first position where the portion of the comb extends beyond the first end of the guard or in a second position where the portion of the comb extends beyond the second end of the guard thereby allowing for righthanded and lefthanded operation of the protection apparatus.

United States Patent [1 1 Losenno Dec. 16, 1975 1 PROTECTION APPARATUS [76] Inventor: Luigi G. Losenno, 3804 Thomas Ave. South, Minneapolis, Minn. 55410 [22] Filed: Jan. 30, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 545,613

[52] U.S. Cl. 132/9 [51] Int. Cl. A45D 1/18 58] Field of Search 132/9, 36, 32 R, 37 R, 132/11 A; 219/225 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,800,271 4/1931 Wehner .l 132/36 R 2,472,700 6/1949 Gingold 132/9 Primary Examiner-G. E. McNeill Attorney, Agent, or FirmWicks & Nemer [57] ABSTRACT Protection apparatus is disclosed for use with a hair curling iron having a curling clamp and a heating element. In the preferred embodiment, the protection apparatus includes a guard and a comb retainer. The guard includes a trough member for receiving the heating element and curling clamp of the curling iron to aid in preventing the heating element of the curling iron from accidentally contacting the head of the person desiring their hair curled and a U-shaped slot for removably receiving the back member of the comb allowing a portion of the comb to extend beyond an end of the guard by a sufficient amount to allow the comb to be grasped by the hand of the operator. Therefore the portion of the comb extending beyond the ends can be used as a handle. Further, the comb can be placed either in a first position where the portion of the comb extends beyond the first end of the guard or in a second position where the portion of the comb ex tends beyond the second end of the guard thereby allowing for righthanded and lefthanded operation of the protection apparatus.

8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 3,926,200

PROTECTION APPARATUS BACKGROUND The present invention relates generally to protection apparatus and more specifically relates to protection apparatus for use with a hair curling iron.

Due to increasing popularity of the natural, curl-type hair styles, the use of curling irons has drastically increased. However, persons utilizing curling irons have been prone to cause burns due to the heating element of the curling iron accidentally contacting the head of the person desiring their hair curled. Therefore, there is a need in the art for an apparatus to aid in preventing the heating element of the curling iron from acciden tally contacting the head of the user.

Also since persons use curling irons to curl their own hair, there is a need in the art for an apparatus that can easily be used by individuals themselves to aid in preventing burns caused by the heating element of the curling iron.

Further, there is a need for an apparatus which allows the righthanded or lefthanded operation.

SUMMARY The present invention solves these and other problems in hair styling by providing, in the preferred embodiment, a protection apparatus comprised of a guard and a comb. The guard includes a trough member for receiving the heating element and curling clamp of a curling iron to aid in preventing the heating element of the curling iron from contacting the head of the person desiring their hair to be curled and further includes a slot for removably receiving the back member of the comb and for allowing a portion of the comb to extend beyond an end of the guard by a sufficient amount to create a handle which can be grasped by the hand of the operator. Further, the comb can be positioned either in a first position such that the portion extends beyond the first end of the guard allowing righthanded operation of the apparatus or in a second position such that the portion extends beyond the other end of the guard allowing Iefthanded operation of the apparatus.

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide novel protection apparatus.

It is a further object of this invention to provide novel protection apparatus for use with a curling iron.

It is further an object of the present invention to pro vide such novel protection apparatus which is easy to fabricate.

It is further an object of the present invention to provide such novel protection apparatus which is easy to use.

It is further an object of the present invention to provide such novel protection apparatus which allows either righthanded or lefthanded operation.

It is further an object of the present invention to provide such novel protection apparatus which can also be used by persons curling their own hair with a hair curling iron.

These and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become clearer in light of the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of this invention described in connection with the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The illustrative embodiments may best be described by reference to the accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the protection apparatus according to the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in its lefthanded operation.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in its righthanded operation.

FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 according to the section line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

Where used in the various figures of the drawings, the same numerals designate the same or similar parts in the protection apparatus. Furthermore, when the terms right, left", front, back", vertical, horizontal, first end, second end, lefthanded,right handed, and similar terms are used herein, it should be understood that these terms have reference only to the structure shown in the drawings as it would appear to a person viewing the drawings and are utilized only to facilitate describing the invention.

DESCRIPTION In the figures, a preferred embodiment of a protection apparatus of the present invention is shown and generally designated 10. Protection apparatus 10 is used in conjunction with a hair curling iron, not fully shown, of the standard type including a heating element 12 shown in the preferred embodiment as having a circumference 14 and including a curling clamp 16 for clamping hair 18 from the head 20 of the person desiring their hair curled between clamp 16 and heating element 12.

Protection apparatus 10 shown includes a comb 22 and a guard 24. Comb 22 includes a back member 26 and a multitude of teeth 28 upstanding from back member 26. Back member 26 is of a length generally indicated L and includes a substantial portion generally indicated L and a remaining portion generally indicated L". Back member 26 has a substantially uniform width through the substantial portion L with the width of the remaining portion L being equal to or less than the width of the substantial portion L. In the preferred embodiment, the width of the remaining portion L is slightly less than the width of substantial portion L.

Guard 24 has a body having a first end 30 and a second end 32 and is of a length which is shorter than the length L of comb 22 by an amount sufficient to allow comb 22 to be grasped by the hand of the operator, as will be explained further hereinafter. In the preferred embodiment, the length of guard 34 is substantially equal to substantial portion L of comb 22. First end 30 and second end 32 are shown in the preferred embodiment as being flat to allow ease of manufacture.

Guard 24 also includes a trough member 34 having a first side member 36, a second side member 38, and a curved bottom portion 40 therebetween. Trough member 34 should be of a sufficient size to receive heating element 12 and curling clamp 16 of the curling iron and to substantially surround the circumference 14 of heating element 12 to aid in preventing heating element 12 from contacting head 20 of the person as best seen in FIG. 4 and will be explained further hereinafter. In the preferred embodiment, the thickness of second side member 38 is substantially greater than the thickness of first side member 36 to insure that heating element 12 will be positioned at a substantial thermal distance away from head of the person desiring their hair curled, as will be explained further hereinafter.

Second side member 38 further includes a member 42 for removably receiving back member 26 of comb 22. member 42 includes a U-shaped slot 44 which extends through guard 24 from first end 30 to second end 32 having a width which is substantially equal to but less than the uniform width of substantial portion L of comb 22. Therefore comb 22 can either be positioned in a first position as shown in FIG. 2 or in a second position as shown in FIG.'3.

In the first position as shown in FIG. 2, back member 26- of comb 22 is located within U-shaped slot 44 of guard 24 such that comb 22 extends beyond first end 30 of guard 24. In this first position, the portion of comb 22 which extends beyond guard 24 forms a handle on first end 30 of guard 24 which may be grasped by a hand 46 of the operator.

In the second position as shown in FIG. 3, back member 26 of comb 22 is located within U-shaped slot 44 of guard 24 such that comb 22 extends beyond the second end 32 of guard 24. In this second position, the portion of comb 22 which extends beyond guard 24 forms a handle on second end 32 of guard 24 which may be grasped by hand 46 of the operator.

Guard 24 should be formed of heat insulating material to prevent heat from being conducted from heating element 12 of curling iron through guard 24 to head 20 of the person desiring their hair curled. In the preferred embodiment, guard 24 is formed from plastic having a high melting point and having good heat insulating qualities.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, back member 26 of comb 22 can be removably received within slot 44 of guard 24 by at least two methods. A first method of placing back member 26 of comb 22 within slot 44 is placing remaining portion L of back member 26 into slot 44 and sliding comb 22 until substantial portion L of back member 26 is located within slot 44. It should be noted that, in the preferred embodiment, the width of remaining portion L" is less than the width of substantial portion L', therefore, remaining portion L" can easily be placed within slot 44. However, as comb 22 is slid within guard 24, substantial portion L of back member 26 will be removably received and captured within slot 44 such that remaining portion L" of comb 22 extends beyond guard 24.

A second method of placing back member 26 of comb 22 in slot 44 of guard 24 is placing substantial portion L of back member 26 vertically in line with the entrance of slot 44. Back member 26 can then be forced into slot 44 such that back member 26 is urged into and is removably received and captured within slot 44.

Back member 26 of comb member 22 can be removed from slot 44 by simply reversing one of the methods of insertion previously disclosed. For example, comb 22 can be slid within guard 24 until substantial portion L of back member 26 is located outside slot 44 allowing back member 26 to be easily removed from slot 44 or back member 26 of comb 22 can be vertically forced from slot 44 which allows comb 22 to be removed from guard 24.

A flat, bottom surface .46 can be provided on trough member 34 of guard 24 to allow protection apparatus 10 to be placed on a support surface such that teeth 28 of comb 22 will be in a vertical position. Further, due to the large area of bottom surface 46, if apparatus 10 is placed on the support surface such that bottom surface 46 is not parallel to the support surface, apparatus 10 will rock such that bottom surface will rest on the support surface. It should be noted that in such a position, back portion 26 of comb 22 will be spaced from the support surface allowing the fingers of the user to be wrapped around comb 22 without removing apparatus 10 from the support surface. Therefore apparatus 10 can be picked up with one hand leaving the other hand free for holding and operating the curling iron.

OPERATION During the normal use of a curling iron, the ends of hair 18 are captured between curling clamp 16 and heating element 12 of curling iron. The curling iron is then twisted such that hair 18 wraps around heating element 12 and clamp 16. For best results, it is necessary to wrap hair 18 around curling iron until the curling iron is as close as possible to the scalp of the person desiring their hair curled. Therefore, the person is very prone to a burn caused when heating element 12 of curling iron accidentally contacts head 20. Further, curling irons have now become popular for use by persons curling their own hair. Such persons are especially prone to accidental burning since the curling operation is done while the person is observing the operation in a mirror. Since it is hard to judge the distance that the curling iron is from head 20, a self user may particularly misjudge the distance and therefore heating element 12 of curling iron may contact head 20 of the user and result in a burn.

Protection apparatus 10 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention aids in preventing heating element 12 of the curling iron from contacting head 20 of the person desiring their hair curled. It should be noted that the person desiring their hair curled can be the operator of the curling iron and protection apparatus 10 or another person.

After hair 18 has been prepared for curling, comb 22 is placed within guard 24 by either pressing or sliding back member 26 into slot 44, as explained. As also explained, comb 22 can be placed within guard 24 in either the first or second position.

The portion of comb 22 extending beyond guard 24 is then grasped by the operator. The operator, with an upward movement, engages hair 18 with protection apparatus 10 such that hair 18 is combed by teeth 28 and also directs the ends of hair 18 into trough member 34. At this time, the operator can clamp hair 18 between curling clamp 16 and heating element 12 of curling iron. This is accomplished by first separating clamp 16 from heating element 12 and then sliding curling clamp 16 on bottom 40 of trough member 34. Hair 18 is then passed between clamp 16 and heating element 12. When the desired amount of hair 18 is located between clamp 16 and heating element 12, clamp 16 is moved toward heating element 12 thereby clamping the ends of hair 18 therebetween. The curling iron is then twisted in the normal manner thereby wrapping hair 18 around clamp 16 and heating element 12. Simultaneously while the hair is being wrapped around the curling iron, protection apparatus 10 can also be moved upwards such that trough member 34 of guard 24 substantially covers circumference 14 of heating element 12 and curling clamp 16, as best seen in FIG. 4.

Therefore, protection apparatus is always located between head 20 of the person and the heating element 12 and clamp 16 of the curling iron. Therefore, protection apparatus aids in preventing burns to head of the person desiring their hair curled. When the curling iron is located at the desired position, the curling operation of the curling iron can then begin in the normal manner. After the curling operation has been completed, the curling iron can be untwisted while protection apparatus 10 is slowly moved down hair 18 such that trough member 34 of guard 24 substantially covers circumference 14 of heating element 12 and curling clamp 16, as best seen in FIG. 4.

Due to the large thickness of second side member 38 of guard 24, heating element 12 and clamp 16 of curling iron will be spaced from head 20 of the person desiring their hair curled. This spacing resulting from the thickness of the side member 38, insuring that the distance between heating element 12 and head 20 of the person will be above a minimum necessary to thermally insulate the heating element 12 of the curling iron from head 20 thus preventing large amounts of heat transfer therebetween to prevent burning head 20 and to further aid in preventing heating element 12 from accidentally contacting head 20 of the person.

While curling hair 18, it may be desired to change the position of comb 22 within guard 24. For example, if it is desired that the portion of comb 22 extending beyond guard 24 to be towards the front of the person, it will be necessary to change the position of comb 22, as when it is desired to curl hair 18 located on the opposite side of head 20. This can be accomplished by sliding back member 26 of comb 22 out of slot 44 or by forcing back member 26 out of slot 44 of guard 24. Then comb 22 can be repositioned such that back member 26 of comb 22 is located within slot 44 of guard 24 such that the portion extending beyond end 30 or 32 is opposite from the previous position. Therefore, comb 22 can be positioned allowing protection apparatus 10 to be used interchangeably in a righthanded and lefthanded operation.

Comb 22 can be of the standard variety. Since comb 22 is in a removable relation with guard 24, many advantages will become apparent to one skilled in the art apart from the righthanded and lefthanded operation as discussed hereinbefore. For example, protection apparatus 10 has the ability to use different types or varieties of combs 22, such as those with smaller or larger tooth spacing, with a single guard 24. Further if one or more of teeth 28 should break from comb 22, comb 22 can be replaced with another comb for use with guard 24. Further, comb 22 can be molded separately from guard 24.

Now that the basic teachings of the present invention have been explained, many extensions and variations will be obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art. For example, although comb 22 is shown as a standard full-toothed comb, it will be immediately apparent that it can be replaced with a comb of different tooth types or of different comb varieties, such as rat-tail combs.

Thus, since the invention disclosed herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or the general characteristics thereof, some of which forms have been indicated, the embodiments described herein are to be considered in all respects illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equiva- 6 lency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. Protection apparatus for use with a hair curling iron including a heating element having a circumference and a curling clamp where, during use of the hair curling iron, the hair from the head of a person desiring their hair curled is placed around at least a portion of the circumference of the heating element and is pressed between the heating element and the curling clamp, comprising in combination: a comb member having a length and including a back member having a substantially uniform width through a substantial portion of that length, with the remaining portions of that length having a width equal to or less than the width of the substantial portion, and a multitude of teeth upstanding from the back member; and a guard including a body having a first end, a second end, and of a length which is shorter than the length of the comb by an amount sufficient to allow a portion of the comb to be grasped by the hand of an operator and including a trough member having a first side member, a second side member, and a curved bottom portion therebetween and being of sufficient size to receive the heating element and curling clamp of the hair curling iron therein and to substantially surround the circumference of the heating element to aid in preventing the heating element of the curling iron from contacting the head of the person, the second side member including means for removably receiving the back member of the comb comprising: a U-shaped slot having a width substantially equal to but less than the uniform width of the substantial portion of the back member for receiving the back member of the comb to allow the comb to be positioned in a first position and a second position with a portion of the comb forming a handle member where the handle is formed on the first end of the guard in the first position and where the handle is formed on the second end of the guard in the second position so that the comb can be used to comb the hair, to direct the hair into the trough member of the guard member, and for a handle, and the guard aids in preventing the heating element of the curling iron from coming in contact with the head of the person.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second side member is of a thickness to insure that the heating element of the curling iron will be thermally insulated from the head of the person desiring their hair curled to prevent large amounts of heat transfer therebetween to prevent burning of the head of the person.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped slot extends through the guard from the first end to the second end thereof.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first end and the second end are flat.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the guard is formed of heat insulating material.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises means for supporting the guard on a support surface such that the teeth of the comb will be in a vertical position and such that the back member of the comb is spaced from the support surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the supporting means comprises a flat surface formed on the trough member of the guard.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the length of the guard is substantially equal to the substantial portion of the length of the comb. 

1. Protection apparatus for use with a hair curling iron including a heating element having a circumference and a curling clamp where, during use of the hair curling iron, the hair from the head of a person desiring their hair curled is placed around at least a portion of the circumference of the heating element and is pressed between the heating element and the curling clamp, comprising in combination: a comb member having a length and including a back member having a substantially uniform width through a substantial portion of that length, with the remaining portions of that length having a width equal to or less than the width of the substantial portion, and a multitude of teeth upstanding from the back member; and a guard including a body having a first end, a second end, and of a length which is shorter than the length of the comb by an amount sufficient to allow a portion of the comb to be grasped by the hand of an operator and including a trough member having a first side member, a second side member, and a curved bottom portion therebetween and being of sufficient size to receive the heating element and curling clamp of the hair curling iron therein and to substantially surround the circumference of the heating element to aid in preventing the heating element of the curling iron from contacting the head of the person, the second side member including means for removably receiving the back member of the comb comprising: a U-shaped slot having a width substantially equal to but less than the uniform width of the substanTial portion of the back member for receiving the back member of the comb to allow the comb to be positioned in a first position and a second position with a portion of the comb forming a handle member where the handle is formed on the first end of the guard in the first position and where the handle is formed on the second end of the guard in the second position so that the comb can be used to comb the hair, to direct the hair into the trough member of the guard member, and for a handle, and the guard aids in preventing the heating element of the curling iron from coming in contact with the head of the person.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second side member is of a thickness to insure that the heating element of the curling iron will be thermally insulated from the head of the person desiring their hair curled to prevent large amounts of heat transfer therebetween to prevent burning of the head of the person.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped slot extends through the guard from the first end to the second end thereof.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first end and the second end are flat.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the guard is formed of heat insulating material.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises means for supporting the guard on a support surface such that the teeth of the comb will be in a vertical position and such that the back member of the comb is spaced from the support surface.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the supporting means comprises a flat surface formed on the trough member of the guard.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the length of the guard is substantially equal to the substantial portion of the length of the comb. 